While Haiti officially declared its independence from France on January 1, 1804, May 1, 1804 marks the day Jean-Jacques Dessalines publicly reaffirmed Haiti’s Black sovereignty and formally named it the “Empire of Haiti”, addressing global audiences. On this date, Haiti issued declarations to the world affirming that it would be a nation led by formerly enslaved people, free of colonial or racial domination. Dessalines’ government enshrined this vision in public ceremonies and diplomatic overtures to foreign powers—while making clear that Haiti would not tolerate the return of slavery or European control.

This was not just about independence—it was a bold ideological rejection of white supremacy and plantation capitalism. Haiti became the first nation in the world to permanently abolish slavery and assert Black governance at the national level. It inspired fear in colonial empires, solidarity among Black thinkers globally, and remains one of the most revolutionary declarations of Black autonomy in modern history.